Sports

Kickin' it: Tebow a favorite, but Bowlen runs the show

Readers talk and columnist Mark Kiszla responds

Broncomaniacs have been running this NFL team since fans fired coach Josh McDaniels in the middle of last season, right after franchise owner Pat Bowlen said McDaniels would be back in 2011. What you, John Elway and the rest of the current Broncos brain trust need to understand is Tim Tebow makes Denver relevant. Without Tebow, Denver has nothing. So your suggestion to play Kyle Orton at quarterback and (maybe) win one extra game? No way.

Jeff, adores No. 15

Kiz: Fans might buy Tebow's favorite brand of underwear, but it's still Bowlen who does the firing of coaches around here. Who plays quarterback for the Broncos in 2011 won't be nearly as important as how many new starters Elway can find in the NFL draft. If Denver stays at No. 2 on the draft board, Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus is the obvious choice. He will make the Pro Bowl long before Tebow ever does.

Columnist Mark Kiszla says drafting Alabama standout defensive tackle Marcell Dareus will have more impact than current quarterback Tim Tebow, who still remains a work in progress.
(Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images
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Avoid the Tebow hype.

Some very vocal Broncos fans are Tebow crazy and let everybody know it every chance they get. Whether or not those fans really represent a majority of all Denver fans hasn't reliably been established. Newspaper and radio polls are not accurate barometers, because they can be easily skewed by over-participation by enthusiastic minorities. Here's hoping Elway listens to his experienced brain trust instead of Tebow hype.

Win, Longmont

Kiz: When it's time to name a starting quarterback, what coach John Fox thinks is more important than the votes of 100,000 Tebow-maniacs. But Fox better understand that the Tebow faithful will bring holy wrath to anyone who stands in the way of their favored QB. Unless you go undefeated, coaching football can become a job with all the pitfalls of politics.

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Brooks is a younger Karl.

Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks is cocky? You can't be serious. Brooks has done a masterful job of getting a bunch of kids to win a division title. It doesn't make much sense for you to point out the Thunder hasn't done anything yet. You are quite correct. But the average age of the Thunder is about 23. The only thing these players could have done so far is to win state titles in high school.

Mark Kiszla

Kiz: Hey, it was Nuggets coach George Karl who called Brooks cocky. If anybody knows cocky, it's Karl. In fact, Brooks reminds me a little of Karl, back in those Furious George days of the 1990s.

Hey, chill with Thunder talk.

By the end of this NBA playoff series, you will write a column that states 'The Thunder has arrived . . . and we aren't going away.' We have won the Northwest Division. We have won NBA individual scoring titles. We have won all-star nominations. So, mark it down. The next thing on our list is a series victory over your Nuggets of fool's gold. Can you hear us off in the distance? The Thunder is getting louder. Bring those snow earmuffs to protect your eardrums in Oklahoma. Our arrogance and swagger will be loud and true.

Scott, wants to buy Kiz a Durant jersey

Kiz: So when's the ticker-tape parade through downtown Okie City in celebration of that division title? By the way, I don't need a Durant jersey. But if you want to buy me a custom van (with TV and fridge) like your basketball hero drives, I'll clean out my garage to make room.

Angry over the Avs.

I heard the St. Louis Blues are planning to nominate Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman as NHL executive of the year. The Blues want to do all they can to protect Sherman's job. It seems St. Louis has a nearsighted, one-eyed goalie they would like to trade to the Avs for Matt Duchene.

Tom, Arvada

Kiz: Thanks, Tom. So now we know the one person in Colorado still angry about the Avalanche's pitiful season. The rest of us checked out about two months ago.

Let's keep the focus on the game

And today's parting shot is from a die-hard Colorado baseball fan who doesn't believe she needs to be told how to root for the Rockies from a television station.

Enough of Rizzo's fan chats.

"I love the Rockies and Root Sports broadcaster Alanna Rizzo, but please tell us her interviews with fans and that nasty crawl of cheerleading tweets at the bottom of my TV screen are only temporary. Focus on the game!"

Rockies are on pace to lose 93 games this seasonThe Rockies lost three of four in St. Louis and are on pace to lose 93 games as they come home for a three-game series with Seattle before going back on the road again to face Washington.